Idea #4: Fruit Trees on City Streets

Idea #4: Fruit Trees on City Streets
by: Colleen Kimmett

Ruben Anderson has a dream: one day the sidewalks of Kitsilano will be as congested with pear trees as they are with Peg Perego strollers.

Italian bakeries lining the Drive will harvest fresh fruit from neighbouring yards to make prize-winning pastries.

The Eastside will be famous for pistachios, not poverty.

Anderson's prescription is for Vancouver to invest in civic pride and local culture by planting fruit and nut trees in the city's neighborhoods.

Side effects may include increased food security and reduced carbon in the atmosphere.

"Trees have a bunch of benefits just by being there," says Anderson. "They reduce storm water overflow, they sequester carbon, they shade buildings and reduce urban heat island effect, they increase the value of property."

Read the entire article here: http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/12/20/FruitTrees/